PUTTING aside the excellent facilities for just a second, I want to highlight one of the most memorable parts of my stay at The Fish Hotel in Broadway.

It wasn't the inviting claw-foot bathtub, the spotless and beautifully-designed bedrooms, or even the magnificent restaurant with huge windows allowing plentiful light into the room to enhance the dining experience.

No, this is something cooked-up by Mother Nature herself.

The views from the Farncombe Estate, perched on Fish Hill which wends its way out of Broadway, are quite simply breathtaking. I found myself just standing and admiring landscape mixing with sky, way off into the distance.

In the evening when I arrived and again watching the sunrise on the patio outside the Six One Seven suite with a coffee, it was magical.

The Fish is not so much a hotel, more a sprawling country estate with the rooms dotted around in different buildings near The Lodge, where the main reception, bar and restaurant are situated.

It makes you feel as if you are visiting a friend in the countryside and that feeling was embellished by the handwritten welcome note I found on my bed.

A very pleasant personal touch.

It's location in the Farncombe Estate, where sister hotels the Dormy House and Foxhill Manor are also found, gives The Fish an instant head start on its competitors.

The team make great use of the sumptuous surroundings by telling guests they are more than welcome to explore the grounds on foot, or if you don't fancy walking, a segway.

As you would expect, there are also opportunities to indulge in a list of country pursuits like clay pigeon shooting, pistol shooting, quad biking or archery - all arranged by the splendidly-named activity team.

Anyway, enough of the great outdoors.

The colour schemes in the rooms are tasteful, classy and very welcoming. The bathrooms are immaculate with luxurious heated tiles on the floor, lots of bright white combined with shiny silver metal and bleached wood frames.

Smart TVs, Orla Kiely toiletries and coffee machines come as standard and my eye was drawn to the retro radio and telephone - similar to those I have at home.

As I touched on earlier, the restaurant is a lovely, open, light and airy place to enjoy a meal. Huge windows all around send natural light cascading into the room, allowing you to admire the grounds while enjoying, well what else? Fish.

The hotel takes its name from the Benedictine monks of Pershore Abbey who stored their catch in hillside caves, so not wanting to upset all their hard work, I enjoyed a salmon starter with a light and refreshing gin and cucumber relish.

A perfect way to lead me to my main meal - half an Atlantic lobster with garlic butter and vegetables. As you would expect the meal was done excellently and I could tell from the diners around me that they felt the same.

After a great nights sleep in my roomy suite, I enjoyed a full English breakfast and then it was time to head outside again.

A postprandial walk around a secluded lake in delightfully warm sunshine was the perfect way to finish off my stay.

As I drove away along the hilly, snaking route back to the main road, I was able to take one last look at the surroundings.

The Fish is a hotel of great quality with lovely staff, fashionable rooms and excellent food, but what sets it apart is its location.

One other hotels can only dream of.

I'm sure I won't be the first or last to lose track of time staring out dreamily over the horizon.

  •  Rates at The Fish Hotel start from £89 per room per night including breakfast and VAT. Based on two sharing a standard room.
  •  For further information or to call visit www.thefishhotel.co.uk or call 01386 858000.